New Zealand Soldier Sentenced for Historic Espionage Attempt

Wellington, Aug 21 (AP) — In a landmark case, a soldier in New Zealand who confessed to espionage attempts has been sentenced to two years in military prison, followed by a discharge from the army. This sentence was handed down by a judge alongside a panel of three senior military officers on Wednesday, just two days after the soldier entered a guilty plea to three charges, including attempted espionage. This marks the first spy conviction in New Zealand's history.

The identity of the soldier and the country he intended to pass secrets to have been kept confidential. Documents from the military court reveal that the soldier believed he was communicating with a foreign agent in 2019 when he tried to share sensitive military information. This included base telephone directories, maps, assessments of security vulnerabilities, his identity card, and log-in details for a military network.

The charges against him emphasized that his actions were "likely to prejudice the security or defence of New Zealand." However, the supposed foreign agent was, in fact, an undercover New Zealand police officer investigating alleged affiliations with right-wing extremist groups, as revealed by court documents.

Judge Kevin Riordan described the soldier's espionage efforts as unsophisticated and unlikely to cause harm, yet he stressed the seriousness of the crime. "There is no such thing as a non-serious act of espionage," Riordan stated, according to Radio New Zealand. "There is no trivial act of espionage."

The soldier came under law enforcement scrutiny following the March 2019 terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch, where an Australian white supremacist killed 51 Muslim worshippers. Officers questioned the soldier twice about his involvement with a group, and when authorities learned of his intent to defect, he was approached by the undercover officer.

Upon searching the soldier's hard drive, investigators found a copy of Brenton Tarrant's livestreamed video from the Christchurch massacre and a manifesto published by Tarrant prior to the attack. Possession of these materials is a criminal offense in New Zealand, and the soldier, who admitted to this charge, joins several others convicted of having or distributing banned content.

In court, a statement from the soldier read by his lawyer described the nationalist groups he was part of as "no more than groups of friends with similar points of view to my own," as reported by RNZ. The lawyer, Steve Winter, emphasized that his client did not support the Christchurch shooter's ideology.

Stationed at Linton Military Camp near Palmerston North, the soldier also admitted to unauthorized access to a military computer system. The final three charges were a revision of the original 17 charges brought against him.

New Zealand Army Chief Maj. Gen. Rose King condemned the soldier's actions, stating, "The actions of this individual were deplorable. They were incredibly poorly judged and brought risk to all of those he served alongside, as well as the wider New Zealand public.” The charges faced by the soldier could have resulted in maximum prison sentences ranging from seven to 10 years in New Zealand. Originally slated for a court-martial trial, he confessed to the offenses beforehand.

This case sets a precedent as the first espionage or attempted espionage charge in a New Zealand military court. The last instance involving civilian courts dates back to 1975, when a public servant was acquitted of allegedly passing information to Russian agents. (AP) GRS GRS

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